Judge Removes 29 From the Pool of People Claiming to Be Related to Prince

A Minnesota judge has shot down 29 claims from would-be heirs hoping to get a piece of late Prince's estate.

The Purple Rain singer did not leave a will when he died in April after suffering a drug overdose at his Paisley Park home near Minneapolis, and under state law, his estimated $500 million fortune will be split evenly between his heirs, which include his sister Tyka Nelson and five half-siblings.

Hundreds of people have come forward since the tragedy trying to establish themselves as heirs to his massive fortune, and Judge Kevin Eide, who is overseeing the case on the Kiss star's estate, made a special ruling earlier this year that Prince's blood could be tested in order to find potential DNA matches among the claimants.

In court records released on Friday and obtained by Reuters, Judge Eide dismissed claims from 29 individuals, including Claire Boyd, who alleged she was married to the rock star, but records of their union were being kept secret by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

Others who were denied claims included four people insisting they were Prince's children, and multiple individuals claiming to be his father or immediate relatives.

Judge Eide also ordered Tyka Nelson, and Prince's half-siblings John Nelson, Norrine Nelson and Sharon Nelson, to undergo genetic testing, even though there are no known disputes of their relationship to the singer.

The order did not address the remaining two half-siblings, but the judge did rule two women who claimed to be a niece and grand-niece of Prince each made a strong enough case to be potential heirs that they will take the DNA test as well.